Strategic Plan

The City of New Albany would like to thank the more than 1,300 residents who participated in the Engage New Albany strategic plan process during a 21-month period. The plan, formally approved by City Council at their meeting on March 16, 2021, will help lay the foundation for our future residential and commercial efforts, recognize important future road and trail networks, and create new community gathering places for all of us to enjoy. You can review the entire Engage New Albany Strategic Plan document below. You can also access a PDF of the plan by clicking here: Engage New Albany Strategic Plan (PDF)

The city is projected to grow from 10,729 to 14-15,000 residents, 15,470 to 29-30,000 employees and 16.72 square miles to 21.14 square miles. With 31 percent of land use devoted to residential and 43 percent allocated to business, it is the only suburb among its peers – Dublin, Powell, Gahanna, Westerville and Upper Arlington — where commercial land use exceeds residential. More than 80% of the city’s general fund revenues are income tax revenues and the majority of those revenues are from the business park. The city hopes to advance policies that will continue to reduce the residential tax burden by growing the percentage of revenue from commercial uses. 

As a master-planned community, New Albany collaborates with residents and businesses through our strategic planning process to achieve an outstanding community of choice. The strategic planning process addresses community amenities, connectivity, mixed-use environments, parks and open spaces, quality architecture, traditional neighborhoods and versatile residential choices.

Since the city’s first master plan was adopted in 1998, it has been updated every five years to effectively manage the growth that many successful communities experience and to adopt a forward-thinking approach to shaping the built environment by identifying and prioritizing community needs and planning for their development. We also work to ensure that New Albany’s four pillars – lifelong learning, arts and culture, health and wellness and environmental sustainability – are reflected in our future vision.

The Strategic Plan is the key policy guide for City Council, boards and commissions, and staff as they evaluate land use, development, annexation and infrastructure decisions, as well as the character, location and extent of public investments and private development proposals in New Albany.

Strategic planning enables us to effectively prioritize community needs, prudently allocate city revenue, guide private development, maintain community character, manage public infrastructure investment and generate income to support services.

Areas of consideration include:

• Land use planning — uses, density and form
• Thoroughfare/transportation planning — identifying areas of concern and addressing future growth to mitigate congestion and accommodate multiple modes
• Focused site planning – identifying areas for future growth and developing specific plans to encourage appropriate uses
• Sustainability – measuring success and developing effective initiatives to achieve continued progress

The strategic planning process will assess current conditions, evaluate opportunities for public infrastructure investment and private development and provide a phased roadmap for future decision making.

Public Participation

Public participation is at the heart of New Albany’s ability to determine what matters most during the strategic planning process.

• A steering committee made up of representatives of neighborhoods, businesses, government agencies, community groups and local institutions will guide work closely with the city and its consultants to guide and advise the planning team.
• Three community workshops will be conducted to gather insights and input, share progress and seek feedback as the plan begins to take shape.
• The planning team will conduct a series of focus group roundtables on the following issues: community services, amenities and programs, transportation, sustainability, the Village Center and parks and open spaces.
• Mobile meetings and displays will provide additional opportunities for individuals to learn about the process and share their opinions.
• Neighborhood gatherings will provide another opportunity to solicit input and feedback throughout the community.
• Web-based surveys and comment forms will be used to seek additional insights as well as evaluate findings.

As the City, residents and businesses work together to proactively plan for an outstanding community of choice, the New Albany Community Development Department is sharing the resources below to provide information from a variety of national and state sources on strategic planning policy, urban design, density, walkability and sustainability. To provide an overview, we recommend starting with this video by urbanist, Jan Gehl. Feel free to share these resources with others in our community.

• Urban Design
  • How public spaces make cities work, Amanda Burden, Ted Talk
  • Cities for People, Jan Gehl, Ted Talk
  • Jeff Speck: 4 Ways to Make a City More Walkable, Ted Talk
  • Soul of the Community, Knight Foundation
  • Insight 2050 Summary Report, MORPC, Columbus 2020, and ULI Columbus
  • Defying Expectations for Master-Planned Communities, Urban Land Institute
• Density
  • Visualizing Compatible Density, Bob Bengford
  • Dense by Design, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission
  • Visualizing Density, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
• Walkability
  • Foot Traffic Ahead: Ranking Walkable Urbanism in America’s Largest Metros, George Washington University and Smart Growth America
  • The Economic Power of Walkability in Metro Areas, Brookings Institution
  • Walkable Neighborhoods, Walk Score
• Sustainability
  • Local Sustainability: A menu of policy options for greening communities, Policy Matters Ohio
  • A Green New Deal: 10 ways to promote a sustainable Ohio, Policy Matters Ohio
  • Regional Sustainability Agenda 2017-2020, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission
  • Harvesting the Value of Water, Urban Land Institute

The city of New Albany looks forward to shaping an even better vision for our future. We encourage residents and business owners to review the plans that we have completed to date:

• New Albany Resources
  • 2014 New Albany Strategic Plan
  • 2014 Strategic Plan Executive Summary
  • 2015 New Albany Strategic Plan Addendum
  • Rocky Fork Blacklick Accord Plan
  • Economic Development Strategic Plan
  • Leisure Trail Master Plan
  • Leisure Trail Priorities
  • Bike New Albany Plan
  • Village Center Plan
  • Rose Run Greenway Study
  • Village Center Stormwater Mitigation Strategy
  • Research and Information District
  • Triangle Plan
  • Western Licking County Accord
• Additional Resources
  • MORPC
  • American Planning Association
  • Urban Land Institute

Under the direction of the Community Development Department, an internal Working Group led by MKSK, a planning, urban design and landscape architecture firm, will oversee the planning process with regular input from the Steering Committee. Stephen Mayer, development services manager, and Adrienne Joly, director of administrative services, directs the planning process for the City. The committee will provide periodic progress reports to the New Albany Planning Commission.

Abbey Brooks
Andrea Wiltrout
Ben Collins
Benjamin Reid
Cherie Nelson
Craig Mohre
Dave Wharton
Hans Schell
John McClelland
Jon Iten
Michael Sawyers
Phil Heit
Sloan Spalding
Todd Brubaker
Everett Gallagher
Geoff Clark
Jeff Wilcoxon
Neil Collins
Rob Verst Jr
Tom Rubey
Bill Barrett
Bill Carleton
David Goodman
Dennis Keesee
Holly Cush
Jason Milburn
Jenny Maple
Jill Beckett-Hill
Karl Billisits
Kate Lyaker
Katie Rooney
Kyle Sellers
Mark Neff
Mike Platte
Naomi Maletz
Pete Risch
Sarah Underhill
Teresa Bowman
Charm London
Serina Shores
Yaromir Steiner

City to Share Strategic Plan Recommendations at Virtual Community Workshop July 9

The City of New Albany will share draft recommendations for the Engage New Albany Strategic Plan Update at its final community workshop webinar on Thursday, July 9, from 6 to 7 pm followed by a Q&A session from 7 to 7:30 pm. After the meeting, the community will have the opportunity to offer final feedback through an online survey before the plan is sent to City Council for review and approval.

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Master Planning Key to New Albany’s Economic Development

The success of the 5,000-acre New Albany International Business Park is no accident. This suburb of just under 11,000 residents successfully competes against major cities thanks to its master plan that leverages public-private partnerships to prioritize the services and amenities that enhance quality of life and quality of work.

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City’s Master Plan Update Engages Residents, Business Owners

This month, the city of New Albany kicks off its latest strategic-plan update, Engage New Albany, a process that will involve the entire community in cultivating a shared vision for the future designed to improve our quality of life and protect investment for the long term.

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For more information, email engagenewalbany@newalbanyohio.org or contact the Community Development Department at 614.939.2254.